The cannonballs were covered with magic; a spell that increased the explosiveness and range of the projectiles. If they could strengthen their weaponry by this much, then they probably had at least a hundred 6-star magicians on-board. And the fact that there were over one hundred 6-star magicians meant that there were higher-ranked magicians who managed them.
Usually, these troops should not be sent over to a meaningless island. In contrast to the Runcandels' modest ten guardian knights, the Vermont Empire sent an entire army for war. Which implied that the Empire held more information regarding the Kinzelo Group and Zipfel Clan than what the Runcandels knew about the suspicious ties.
Or, possibly, they were more concerned about it.
The tiny black spots in the sky rapidly grew in size. The cannonballs had already approached the port.
"E-Everyone, duck!"
"Oh my!"
Cannonballs began to plummet onto the beach and port. From the impact, massive splashes of water, pirate ship debris, and rocks and sand flew everywhere.
Unlike the pirates who ducked and quivered—praying that nothing would hit them—the guardian knights defended themselves from any projectile that flew their way.
"Tch, this is annoying."
"Let's alert the clan. Tell them that the Bellard bitches are out of their mind."
Boom…! Boom! Boom!
Before the pirates could recollect their sanity, the Bellard ships began their second barrage.
This was pretty advantageous for Jin. As long as the guardian knights were kept busy by the assault, it was easier for him to reassemble the crew and possibly leave undetected.
Besides, they were going to ride Murakan anyway.
Still, the arrival of the Bellard Empire's naval fleet inconvenienced Jin.
Because they began to cast another spell.
The night sky was soon dyed in red. Not because of any fire, but because the magicians on the ships began to cast a barrier.
"A massive chain barrier…?! The Vermont Special Forces prepared that too?!"
Just as the name suggested, it was a barrier formed by multiple magicians chaining their casts to completely seal an area. It was usually used in scenarios where things must be kept outside of an area, such as protecting a castle or city. However, occasionally, it was used to 'keep enemies in'.
Just like now.
'Crimson Chain Barrier. This is probably the Imperial Guards' chain spell. They even brought the Imperial Guards for this?'
The barrier spell had been an iconic spell of the Imperial Guards. Their main motive was 'full aerial control'. When a dragon or flying monster terrorized the palace, this spell would protect the entire structure. Nothing larger than a pigeon could fly in and out of the barrier.
Once a massive, flying body passes through, thousands of red lasers would blast towards the uninvited entity. As much as this spell was researched to protect the emperor, its destructive power couldn't be denied.
The plans to escape on Murakan's back were instantly foiled.
'Even if Murakan can survive the barrier's attack, the riders' safety is at risk. We need to change plans.'
They had to escape by boat. However, every ship in the port was being destroyed, and Bellard's ships surrounded the island.
'Having a short pursuit on a boat is still better. Flying through the barrier is too risky.'
First, they had to leave the barrier by boat. Ships would chase them, but they could just board Murakan by then and escape by air afterwards.
Finding Murakan was now more important than finding his crew. The chain spell emerged only a century ago, so Murakan would have no idea about it. He would be the type to just start flying due to his impatience.
"Murakan!"
"Yeah, kiddo?"
Going back the path he came from, Jin easily found him. While he was in the middle of explaining what the crimson sky was, Syris appeared out of nowhere.
"Jin! You get the gist of the situation, right? The east port got nothing. Since the island is small, getting rid of the chasers has a limit."
She had been running from the Special Forces and figured out what was going on.
"Syris, do you know where the others are?"
"They're at the west escape points. Since they're both from Vermont, they'd know what this barrier is. If we don't have a boat, it's over."
"These damned humans. When the hell did they come up with that? And how're we supposed to get a boat when the cannons are destroying all of 'em? Hey, Wife, where's your Snow Toad?"
"You think we'd be suffering if I had brought him? Black Dragon, just have a chat with everyone about your 'close ties' with my mother, why don't you."
"I think we should stick together for now. Let's hope we find Miss Alisa and Sir Kashimir and find a ship."
Explosions continued in the distance. Murakan transformed into a cat and jumped into Syris's arms.
"Man, as if the Special Forces weren't enough, they even brought the Imperial Guards. I didn't think it'd escalate this much. My mother told me it wouldn't be this difficult."
"Well, I was pretty surprised that you joined the fray."
"I was more surprised when you soloed the second floor. You've become a monster, Jin Runcandel."
"The guardian knights are dying to find you. Let's move swiftly and silently."
Knowing their previous escape routes, they easily made their way towards the west without any difficulty.
"Sir Kashimir."
Kashimir, Alisa, and Quikantel were all at the seventh escape point. It was a pirate storage area, where they previously planned to rendezvous before their escape.
"I thought you'd come find us, so we waited another three minutes. Thankfully, I wasn't wrong. Long time no see, Young Master."
"It seems you got past my juniors, Syris."
"I guess you haven't approached the barrier, seeing that Murakan looks alright there. Who knows what would happen if you got ripped apart by the lasers."
"Are the human shields that incredible? Can't I just fly through it?"
"The Imperial Guards are on par with the Midnight Sun Magicians. They have dozens of men setting up the surroundings, so just us two is not enough."
They chose to save further greetings for later and started looking for a ship. When they arrived at the western port, all of the ships were already destroyed. Not a single intact ship in sight, and only corpses of some pirates remained.
Then their only hope was the southern port. However, it would take too long to get to the south. Although the island was small, it would still take at least thirty minutes to get there.
The explosions got closer and closer. By the time they got the crew together, the barrier had completely closed off the outside world.
"There's a very unlikely chance there'd be a ship in the south. Instead, I believe swimming to the barrier is a fitting alternative."
Jin took a deep breath and made a suggestion.
"What if we get hit by a cannonball?"
Syris asked and Jin shrugged.
"Well… we're all pretty durable."
"Uh, mhm. Sure. That's true. Well, there's no other way."
"Getting hit by projectiles isn't the problem. The real problem is getting spotted by a ship. The infantry on board will definitely attack then."
"Or the Imperial Guards will start hurling spells at us."
No matter how strong everyone was, they couldn't fight in the water. The moment they get spotted, they'd fall without a fight.
The two dragons couldn't fly through the barrier, and they couldn't fight in the water. There was also nowhere to hide on the island.
"Phew…"
Although he was the one who suggested they swim, Jin felt his chest tightening on the fact that swimming through wouldn't rely on skill but luck.
'Who would've known they'd cast Crimson Chain Barrier over the entire island? Goddammit.'
Everyone felt the same remorse.
If they were lucky, they'd successfully escape the area. But it was risky. One or two of them might not even make it.
"Let's go!"
They left the escape point.
All they saw was a massacre, a red sky, and another barrage of cannonballs. Pirates continued to run around, screaming for forgiveness. It was the same for the nobles and beggars.
It was a scene akin to the end of the world.
"Since the cannonballs are concentrated on the ports and beaches, we should find a cliff… Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
Jin stopped for a second, and everyone looked at him.
'That guy… He's the guy who told the other pirates to get on the boats.'
One pirate caught his eye. Jin remembered that the guy had incurred a commotion in the port and ran the opposite way. He had a composed expression from the beginning.
Another pirate who seemed to have chased him stopped beside him.
"Syris, Miss Alisa. Can you read their lips?"
"Now?"
"Can you?"
"Sure."
Syris and Alisa didn't ask any further questions and squinted their eyes.
"'I thought we were wasting everything when Captain told us to make that thing, but I can't believe it's saving us.'"
"'Yeah, I thought our Captain was getting too old. I'm sure he knew that this day would come.'"
"'They're all doomed, those stupid bastards. When I told them to board the ships, they actually tried to. I didn't think they would. A Runcandel guardian knight is right there, and you dare to disobey? Crazy.'"
"'They deserved that fate. Living too long with that brain doesn't make sense. That happened on my side as well. Kuku, our stories will be legendary. With the island surrounded, we escaped the Imperial Naval Fleet!'"
"'Kuku, there's no one else now. Let's go.'"
Syris and Alisa read up until there. After the conversation, the two pirates quickly shuffled towards the ocean.
Syris and Alisa exchanged glances.
"Their conversation… Something's up."
"It seems they got something prepared. I don't think there's any downside to checking it out."
Jin smiled.
'I didn't like relying on luck to get out of here, but this is a different story.'
He didn't know what the pirates prepared, but somehow, he felt like it would help him greatly in this situation.